The Earth Is Cruel

The Earth can be very cruel at times, especially with things that humans can’t control, such as natural disasters. Tsunamis, megatsunamis to be specific, are a horrendous natural disaster which can ruin and end many lives. The worst of which based on the rate of fatalities was the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. It killed 230,000-280,000 people in 14 different countries. It was so massive that it killed people in Indonesia, all the way over to South Africa. It also displaced the North Pole by 2.5 cm and made each day on earth 2.68 microseconds shorter than before. It’s the deadliest tsunami that we know the fatality numbers for (if we had the numbers, the 365 CE Mediterranean tsunami may have killed more). There was nothing people could’ve done. There was a similar earthquake in 2002 that was apparently a precursor to the tsunami, but people only learned of this after the fact. Over 130,000 people were killed in Indonesia, 35,000 in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, something as horrible as that doesn’t happen anytime soon.

What can we do for those affected by natural disasters and what should we do if we’re ever in a natural disaster? Good questions. The best thing you can do for people affected by natural disasters is to donate to the charity normally set up for the disaster. But, if they’re in the same country as you and close enough, you could go the extra mile and volunteer to help out the affected community. If you’re in a natural disaster, then you’ve got a few different options, mainly because there’s so many different kinds of natural disasters. Most of the time, hiding in the basement is best with food and water. Unless it’s something like a fire tornado or a volcanic eruption, or a tsunami, in which case you’re pretty screwed. That’s why it’s important to live away from places easily affected by these disasters, like shorelines or Pompeii, and, if you do live in a susceptible area, always be on the lookout for warning notices detailing if something like a tsunami is on the horizon. But, overall, you can live a normal life without fear of these things, mainly because it’s very unlikely, depending on where you live, to be affected by a natural disaster.

Photo by United Nations Development Programme on Foter.com/ CC BY-NC-ND